Hey Pesto!

A traditional Italian favourite,the original basil pesto has inspired countless variations that feature such fragrant herbs as rocket,garlic-chives,oregano,dill,sage,thyme and tarragon.The famous pesto alla genovese is without doubt one of the classic  sauce recipes of Italian cooking.Its true home, however,is in Liguria,where the ingredients needed can be obtained all the year round.In summer when basil is in season and abundant,it´s worth not only making pesto freshly,but making a quantity large enough to freeze.Make the sauce in the food processor up to the end of the first step,and freeze it without the cheese and butter in it.Add the cheese and butter when it is thawed,just before using.
 Nowadays we find ourselves throwing caution to the wind with innovative combinations such as ginger, mint, basil and coriander, sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic,fava bean and rocket and pestos made with both black and green olives.The traditional pine nut too is often now traded in favour of more exotic nuts like pistachio,marcona almond,walnut and dry roasted peanuts.I bet the queen of Italian gastronomy Marcella Hazan is turning in her grave at the very thought of a beetroot and lemon pesto.And it is she that I turned to seek advice on how to make the best home made pesto.I am so glad I did because having pestle and mortared my way through the process over the years I suddenly found new tips that proved more than worthwhile.If you are using the processor method she suggests washing the basil before you blitz it and then only process the garlic and pine nuts with it, saving the cheese element to be stirred through with a wooden spoon only when you are ready to use it.It is well worth the slight effort to do it by hand to obtain the notably superior texture it produces.When the cheese has been evenly amalgamated with the other ingredients she mixes in softened butter,distributing it evenly into the sauce.This dramatically lifts the dish to a level I have never tasted before.When spooning the pesto over the pasta,she dilutes it slightly with a tablespoon or two of the hot water in which the pasta has been cooked.The late Antonio Carluccio applies the same method,perhaps it was a generational thing?
 Trofie is the traditional pasta to serve with pesto,but fusilli works just as well.Pesto should always be used raw, at room temperature,and never warmed up. 

For the `improved´pesto sauce
FOR THE PROCESSOR
 100g /3.5 oz fresh basil leaves
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
FOR THE COMPLETION BY HAND
50g / 2oz freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
2 tbsp freshly grated romano cheese
45g / 1.5 oz butter softened to room temperature

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread

 Anyone who grew up in the 1970s will remember Angel Delight getting so much marketing attention you would have thought it was critical to human survival. It was taken to a level that made it as important as getting your 5-a-day.We all loved our Angel Delight.It was a firm family favourite, and a vegetarian friendly mousse too.Angel Delight contains no gelatine and is therefore suitable for those suffering with vegetarianism.However, the product does contain milk products (aside from adding your own milk to mix it with) and therefore is not suitable for vegans.But I’m sure vegans will tell you this before you offer it to them.They just love telling people about their beliefs.
This dessert started its life simply as powder in a packet but when whisked with milk,it transformed into a gelatinous mousse which pleased many a child growing up at the time.

It’s not a million miles from custard, but it came, and still does come in several flavours, which made it a bit more exotic (If I am right in thinking butterscotch was the best seller). It is one of a family of instant, whipped up desserts appealing to working parents who found themselves time short in the food preparation area,and answerable to whining ankle biters who needed pandering to.It’s a wonder Angel Delight isn’t at least a Category B substance really.

   "We all mucked in on the nosh. I did my butterbean whip. It's over there in a bucket".

So why did we get so carried away with this "junk food",when there was a healthier and more natural alternative available.Well sorry to spoil all this mustering of nostalgia but we have to talk about where this convenience food might have originated from.It was a beautiful English summer dessert called a fool.Dating as far back as the sixteenth century, this classic British dessert has seen its popularity ebb and flow. A Fruit Fool is a delicious mixture of lightly sweetened fruit that has been pureed and then haphazardly folded into whipped cream,custard or more recently Greek yoghurt. Tart fruits such as raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries, loganberries, and rhubarb are the most popular choices to make Fruit Fools, as they pair so beautifully with sweetened cream. A Fruit Food is aptly named, since the word "Fool" is believed to have originated from the French word "fouler" which means "to mash" or "to press". And this is exactly what is done with the fruit to make this dessert. A Fruit Fool begins with making a puree from fresh fruit.You can make the puree the day before it is needed so it has time to thicken, and the flavours to meld together. Although I always think it best when made shortly before serving, you can make the fruit fools several hours in advance. It is best showcased when served in a long stemmed parfait or wine glass, garnished with fresh fruit. A homemade artesanal biscuit is also a nice accompaniment. There are a few things to keep in mind when making fruit fools. There is no way to know, without tasting, the exact amount of sugar needed. So tasting is very important here. Make sure you taste the puree and adjust the sugar as needed. The same is true when you mix the puree with the whipped cream. Taste and adjust the sugar and amount of puree as you might want to, adding a little extra puree if a stronger fruit flavour is preferred.So what kind of fool are you? A custard fool,cream fool, a greek yoghurt fool or some other kind of fool entirely? Glorious fools! All of them. I can't make up my mind which one I like the best . . . Feeling like a kid in a sweet shop I have opted for blackberry greek yoghurt fool and I will tell you why.I was reading a food blog about blackberries and the brand name Driscolls came up.

The name sounded familiar and I realised it was the brand of berries - raspberries,blueberries and blackberries that I buy in LIdl.On investigating  I discovered that Driscolls is responsible for most of the berry growers in Portugal.
Driscoll's grow berries in Portugal, Spain and Morocco. Right now, Portugal is the largest of the three regions,where the company produces all these strains. I further discovered they are working closely with berry growers in the Algarve and Alentejo and this fits in perfectly with Lidl´s policy of locally sourced produce.

 Brambles, blackberries whatever you call them they are one of the hedgerows most precious jewels.

It’s amazing how nowadays we just expect things. We live in a world where you can practically buy what you want when you want. We eat foods out of season, at the wrong time of the year when good old mother nature would have them sound asleep, tucked in their beds of hybernation for the season to come.Some may call this progress and moving with the times. Man calling the shots and dominating nature more and more with his use of technology and his chemical tool kit. Driscoll´s have developed a unique type of blackberry, they are really next level fruit, and a huge step up from those one would forage in the local hedgerows.
Having some production indoors allows growers to spread the harvest out to more of the year, meaning that we get fresh blackberries for most of the year.
The goal is for year-round blackberries, which is great news for those of us with an addiction for the berries. For now, we can find them in supermarkets and many other outlets from May through October.
The science involved doesn’t mean the human touch is ignored. Each berry is handpicked at peek ripeness to ensure we get the best fruit possible.These blackberries are sweet, plump, and huge – two bites to get one down!

If they cost slightly more, it is money well spent. The taste is extraordinary, meaning that they can be used in ways others cannot, especially if you like to sit down with a pile of berries as a snack or make this magnificent Blackberry Fool.

I am in two minds on this one. I celebrate the joy that comes with the changing seasons and the excitement of the first foods that compliment that time of year. There are so many memories and feelings tied up with seasonal food. But there are those times when compromise or canned fruit wont suffice and you really need that out of season apricot for an autumn trifle or raspberries for a Cranachan on New Years Eve. 

Blackberry fool 
with blackberry balsamic jelly

For the fool 

300g blackberries, plus a few for garnishing1tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp lemon juice
500ml / 2 cups Mascarpone or double cream/whipping cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

Put the blackberries into a saucepan with the sugar and one tablespoon of water. Slowly bring to the boil over a low heat, until they are juicy. Add the lemon juice and set aside to cool completely.
Attach the knife blade, add the blackberry mixture and pulse to a coarse texture then remove from the bowl and reserve.Attach the whisk attachment and add the greek yoghurt and icing sugar. Turn the machine to high speed and process until the yoghurt thickens. Pour the blackberry mixture into the machine. Use the pulse button in quick bursts to mix in the fruit. Pour the mixture into your serving glasses on top of the jelly and return to the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.garnish with blackberry and mint before serving. 

For the jelly

500g/1lb 2oz blackberries, plus extra for garnish
½ lemon, juice only
100g/3½oz caster sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
80ml/2½fl oz water
3 sheets gelatine, soaked in water
Place all the ingredients apart from the gelatine into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for six minutes. Remove the fruit mixture from the heat and strain through a sieve into a bowl.
Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine and stir it into the fruit mixture. Leave the jelly to cool slightly, stirring regularly.
Place two blackberries in the bottom of each of six serving glasses and divide the jelly mixture between them, leaving some space at the top of each tumbler. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours.

Rillettes de porco é muito delicioso!

Rustic, unctuous and seriously scrummy

Slap me with bread and call me a sandwich.Imagine sinking your teeth into the most exquisitely flavoured fork-tender pork that has been simmered for hours in aromatic herbs and then spread on crispy baguettes…é muito delicioso!
I’m always amused by dishes that were in the  past ridiculed and written off as peasant food.Foods like lobster, oysters,foie gras, and famous dishes like cassoulet, panzanella and gazpacho used to be the food of the poor – now they’re only served in the smartest restaurants and come with high price tags.
This process like many others was originally used before refrigeration was invented to keep meat from spoiling. The fat, while providing an incredible flavour, sealed the meat in the pot keeping it fresh and delicious for weeks longer than would have been possible otherwise.Because of the richness of rillettes, a little goes a long way making it a very budget-friendly option.
Be sure to select quality, pasture-raised pork for the best and most flavoursome result.  
Coarse-textured and deliciously old-fashioned, rillettes make a great alternative to paté for that sumptuous summer picnic and something that is a blessing to find in the fridge on a hot summer’s day.
Often made with pork, duck or goose, the savoury quality of rillettes comes from using traditionally fatty meats and a generous quantity of salt. It keeps for weeks if covered with a layer of fat.
 Coupled with the seasonings and quality lard, once you try these rillettes and let the flavours permeate your mouth, I swear you will be hooked and its so easy. Long, slow cooking is the key. Removing the meat from the bone with a fork will help keep the fibres separate. Don't be tempted to use a food processor, as the texture will end up too smooth.The best and most moorish part is shredding the belly pork with a couple of forks, tearing the meat rather than pulling it off with your fingers to keep it light and open.
The success of any pâté or terrine is as much about texture as flavour. My personal preference is a soft, open texture, more like traditional pork rillettes than a dense pâté you can slice oh so neatly with a knife. My heart seeks the sort of soft terrine that falls loosely on the plate, something to scoop up with soft wodgy bread.

So gorgeously french, I love it

1 kg entremeada sem ossos e pele   1 kg belly pork in strips trimmed of bones and skin
300g banha de porco                       300g good quality pork fat or lard

250ml vinho branco seco                 250ml dry white wine

3 folhas de louro                              3 bay leaves

3 raminhos grande de tomilho         3 large sprigs of thyme

3 dentes de alho grandes                3 cloves garlic

Put the pork fat,white wine,thyme and bay leaves in a casserole with a lid.
heat gently until the fat has melted.Add the meat and cook over a very low heat covered for about 3 hours or until the meat is completely tender. Remove the lid.lift the meat from its juices and on a chopping board very finely shred the meat and fat with two forks.Pack tightly into ceramic or eathenware pate dishes or a china terrine;alternatively you could use individual ramekins.Strain the cooking liquid and residue from the casserole,through a sieve over the rillettes and mix lightly.Leave to cool,then refrigerate till the fat on top has set to form a coating.

To serve: simply tear up some baguettes, slather them with rillettes, and place them on a serving platter with things like olives, pickles, pepperoncini, pickled asparagus, pickled onions, pickled peppers, etc. and you’ve got a wonderfully elegant and perfectly delicious option for hors d’oeuvres,picnic, or even a light lunch.

Roasted, toasted, nutty sticky rice powder (Khao Khua)

Khao Khua or toasted rice powder is simply just rice, quite often sticky rice, pan toasted to a deep golden brown, cooled, then ground to a coarse powder using a pestle and mortar. It really is just like pan toasting dry spices for an Indian recipe.It is debatable if ordinary rice, arborio (risotto), bomba (paella), any white or even brown rice will do just as well if you don’t have access to sticky rice or glutinous rice.
It is used in salads like larb (laab), in soups as well as dipping sauces. Not only does it add a nutty, smoky flavour to your dishes, it also adds a pleasant texture and as far as soups go, it acts as a mild thickener.
Khao Khua is a common pantry ingredient in Northern Thai and Lao cuisines. It lends a textural element and nutty flavour to dishes, and is also used as a thickening agent in soups and dipping sauces.Making it at home is a breeze, though it does take some patience: This recipe calls for an extra-long toasting process in order to evenly cook the grains of glutenous rice and bring out all of their deep nutty flavour and popcorn-like aroma.Slow and steady is the best way to coax these flavours out of toasted-rice powder.
Khao Khua ( toasted rice powder )

1–2 tbsp ( 1/2 cup )  sticky rice or rice of your choice

Heat a frying pan or wok on medium heat.
Add the plain raw sticky rice (not rinsed) to the hot pan, and dry roast, slowly stirring continuously. After about 10 minutes, the grains of rice should begin to turn from milky white to golden yellow, and they should also start to smell like popcorn.
Keep dry frying for about 15 minutes, until the sticky rice is golden in color, then remove from heat and set aside.
To grind the sticky rice into powder, you can either do it by hand using a mortar and pestle, or you can grind it in a food processor or blender. You're looking for a coarse powder.
Use the toasted rice powder immediately for best taste, or you can store in a bag or jar for later use (probably within 1 - 2 weeks is best)

Thai sticky rice (also sold as "sweet" and "glutinous" rice) can be found online and at Asian shops.

Sweet, Salty, Sour and hot

Simple though they may be in technique,Thai soups encompass an enormous array of tastes and textures.It can however be so easy to get carried away when making these stock based soups. Since the essence is in simplicity,you are relying on the quality of your stock and only a few ingredients need to be added to perfume that stock.Contrary to what you would normally expect of me, I would recommend exercising restraint.A little fresh ginger,some garlic,some spring onion, coriander and perhaps a cabbage leaf is all that is required. This particular soup is an exercise in that simplicity.
Dtom yam gung 
Hot and sour prawn soup 
Tender prawns and squishy, slurpable noodles swim in this spicy broth of deliciously satisfying hot and sour soup. To most people dtom yam is this ubiquitous hot and sour soup of prawns, but dtom yam in fact encompasses a vast range of dishes from extremely basic to highly complex - dtom simply means to boil and yam to mix or toss together.At its most identifiable a dtom yam is a soup that is flavoured with lemongrass,perfumed by kaffir lime leaves and seasoned with lime juice,fish sauce and chillies resulting in a balance that is sweet salty, sour and hot.When done well,and it can easily be achieved at home, it is easy to understand why this dish has become a culinary classic,However when poorly executed it becomes a culinary cliche.This can be avoided simply by using fresh quality ingredients:freshly squeezed lime juice.pungent birds eye or piri piri chillies,fresh kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass.
Servings 3
12 uncooked prawns,unpeeled
1 medium sized chilli sliced
4 cups stock,chicken,fish or vegetable
6 birds eye chillies
large handful coriander stalks finely chopped
2 stalks lemongrass.finely minced
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
teaspoon Sriracha sauce
dessert spoon golden caster sugar
4 cups prawn broth
tablespoon lime juice, half a lime,reserved after juicing
reserved half a lime quartered
for serving
chopped spring onion
fresh coriander and basil leaves

Peel the prawns, keeping the heads and shells. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the prawn shells and heads with the sliced chilli until they have toasted and changed colour. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer.after 8 to 10 minutes strain and set aside.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and submerge. Allow to soak according to package directions. Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water. 
Set aside.
Coat the bottom of a medium pot with oil and place over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, lemongrass coriander stalks and chillies. Cook about 5 minutes to soften. Add sriracha  lime juice, quartered lime sugar, soy sauce and prawn broth, Taste test and adjust seasonings if desired. Raise heat and bring to a simmer.Add the reserved shelled prawns at the end and cook until they change colour.
Divide noodles and prawns into bowls and ladle broth and over noodles and prawns. Top with spring onion, coriander and basil leaves.

In times of peas

I have always believed......

"Someday it'll come along
The dish I love
It'll be bold and strong
The dish I love
And when it comes my way
I'll do my best to make it stay

It'll  look at me and smile
I'll understand
Then in a little while
I'll take my fork
And enjoy the sensation
I know I won't say a word

about the dish I love..."

                                                      with apologies to George Gershwin

And it has come along in the form of Nigel Slater’s squid with pea and coriander chutney.Fresh and raw,still in the pod, peas makes a delicious snack. But even in a cooked dish like this, they can become the star ingredient.
Whether you toss them in a salad, mix them with bacon into a gorgeous risotto, or turn them into a bright green soup, nothing embodies the sweet, light freshness of summer like the humble pea. For me this  is such a superb summery supper or part of a lazy langorous lunch in the jardim. I will be making it again and again before the season´s out.
There is an ease to early summer cooking that comes from a starting point of having the finest of the season’s ingredients to hand. Fuss free, carefree and effortless,we should enjoy this as long as it lasts.
Our verdict:The dish overall is very rich,and I thought the given quantity for the squid was enough to make a decent main course for two.As it turned out it was only enough for two starter portions.This did not matter as we found it very filling.The quantity of green chutney was more than enough and I put what was left over in the fridge to use in place of mayo in sandwiches as Slater suggested.

Other pea dishes I love
Pea fritters
Risi and bisi
Peas pappardelle and parmesan
Pea crostini with goats cheese and burrata
Pea pesto
Pea kachori

Poke fun.Barely seared and and cured teriyaki salmon poke

Let’s be frank, the Hawaiians stole the poké (po-kay) bowl from the Japanese and their original“chirasushi”,just as the Japanese borrowed tempura from Portugal.Poke and “chirasushi”, or scattered sushi, are flavours united by the huge Pacific Ocean.
The Hawaiian dish poké was traditionally made by fishermen, combining trimmings from their catch of “ahi” tuna (or sometimes octopus) with seaweed and sweet onions. Serving it on a bowl of rice with soy sauce and sesame oil is a nod to the Japanese migrants who worked on the Hawaiian pineapple and sugar cane plantations in the late 19th century. 

Far more recently, poké’s popularity has been lifted by hipsters and health-faddists. For the former, it fits with their obsession with sriracha, mayonnaise and pickly, fermented stuff, and for the latter with their carb-, gluten-, meat-free urges. As poké slips neatly into both camps’ food arsenal, it has become a worldwide phenomenon.

Gone are the days when pasta restaurants were the only ones where one could choose everything that made up the dish, from the type of pasta to the ingredients and the sauces. The same logic is now available in spaces with poké bowls, trendy Hawaiian bowls that look good on any Instagram feed and are eaten with chopsticks.
They began to become famous a few years ago in cities like New York or London. The Portuguese are among the largest consumers of rice and fish in the world and so the Portuguese cities not wanting to be left behind now abound with establishments where you can poke to your hearts content.
 Having become a dedicated follower of the new fashion of the tropical Hawaiian poké and the delicate Japanese chirasushi, I am stealing the concepts back and making them even better by combining the the smokiness of slightly scorched salmon pieces with the delicacy of smoked salmon,avocado, cucumber and shredded nori for a more interesting poke.
Barely seared and and cured teriyaki salmon poke bowl
150g skinless salmon fillet, pin-boned 
150g smoked salmon
2 spring onions, white part very finely chopped, dark green part finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp minced ginger
1⁄2 tsp shichimi togarashi or dried chilli flakes, plus extra to serve (optional)
1 tbsp soy sauce
3/4 tbsp honey
1 dessert spoon sesame oil
150g sushi rice, well rinsed
2 baby baby cucumbers, sliced into rounds
1 dessert spoon rice wine vinegar
1 small ripe avocado, sliced
1/2 sheet nori, shredded
Cut the salmon into 1.5cm cubes and place in a bowl. Add the white part of the spring onion, garlic, ginger, shichimi togarashi or chilli flakes, soy sauce, honey and 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil and toss until well combined. Set aside in this pimped-up teriyaki sauce to marinate for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the rice in a saucepan, add 500ml water and bring to
the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stand, without removing the lid, for 10 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Stir through the dark green part of the spring onion and the remaining sesame oil.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the marinated salmon and cook, turning, for 1–2 minutes or until the sides are slightly scorched. Remove from the heat.
Toss the cukes with the vinegar in a bowl.
Divide the rice among four bowls and top with the smoked salmon, scorched salmon, cucumber, avocado and shredded nori. Scatter over extra shichimi togarashi or chilli flakes, if desired, and serve.

Todo retrato conta uma história,por trás de cada prato um outro.Every picture tells a story,behind every dish another one.

Homage to a time honoured tradition,cured sardines on a washing line

Todo prato pode contar mil de histórias, se houver alguém para prestar atenção. No entanto, a culinária de Portugal é mais narrativa do que a maioria, uma complexa tapeçaria de invasões e colonizações que escorrega e desliza entre continentes e religiões. 
Tal como muitas tradições em Portugal, as técnicas e técnicas mais populares e consagradas pelo tempo permaneceram connosco ao longo de muitos séculos, desde o período do domínio dos Mouros em Algarve.

SAL, BRISA DO MAR E TEMPO
A secagem em ar livro, utilizando sol e vento, tem sido praticada desde a antiguidade para preservar alimentos. A água é normalmente removida por evaporação (secagem ao ar, secagem ao sol, fumo ou secagem ao vento). Não sao se ainda é uma prática existente aqui no Algarve, e outras partes de Portugal, mas lembro-me claramente há doze anos de ver os senhores mais velhos da aldeia aqui a pendurar peixes para secar ao ar e ao sol nas linhas municipais de lavagem fora dos balnearos publicos.Para saudar este tradição tempo honrado eu criei um prato para ser incluído como parte do nosso menu de degustação,( uma coleção de pratos inspirados e influenciados pelos nossos doze anos de vida aqui em Portugal.

Every dish can tell a thousand stories, if only there’s someone to lend an ear. Yet Portugal’s cuisine is more narrative-heavy than most, a complex tapestry of invasions and colonisations that slips and slides between continents and religions.
Like many traditions in Portugal, the most popular and time-honoured skills and techniques have remained over many centuries dating right back to the period when the moors ruled El al Gharb, the Algarve.
SALT,SEA BREEZE AND TIME
Open air drying using sun and wind to preserve food has been practiced since ancient times .Water is usually removed by evaporation (air drying, sun drying, smoking or wind drying).I dont know if it is still an existent practice here in the Algarve and other parts of Portugal,but I quite clearly remember twelve years ago seeing the older gentlemen of the village here hanging pepared fish up to dry in the air and sun on the municipal washing lines outside the balnearos publicos (public bathhouse)To compliment this time honoured tradition I have created a plate to be included as part of our up- coming tasting menu, a collection of dishes inspired and influenced by our twelve years of living here in Portugal.

Get the mojo working

Is time worth more than small pleasures that pass us by? The crunch of raw vegetables against a steel blade,the fragrant and heady aroma of hand torn basil. The pungent tear inducing sting to the eyes of finely sliced onions.These are fabulous sensations that I feel give a dimension to food prep. Certain rules must be observed however- we know basil must be hand torn not subjected to the steely precision of a knife, otherwise it will bruise.Lemon juice is essential to stop avocado discolouring.A happy medium can be achieved however between hands-on cooking and labour saving devices.
Grinding your own spices for example, has the advantage of price: it’s much cheaper and less time consuming to buy bulk spices in their whole form than air dry peppers and chillies, parsley, mint and fruits in the sun.A bag of freshly ground spices can save you so much time and effort as long as you make sure you use it pretty pronto and dont let it slip to the back of your spice rack for months or even years.
Second rule of thumb is to ensure you buy from a reliable source with a responsible use by date on the product.You just dont know how long those unstable stacks of glass jars you always knock over in the supermarket,have been sitting there under bright lights.
 I have always bought my dried herbs,seasonings and spices from Algarve spice.They always have something new to offer each time we visit their stall.At the recent Mercadinho de Verão em Cacela Velha the promotion was Mojo  verde.Once sampled there was no looking back, this seasoning is a spark of genius.
Mojos (pronounced "MO-hos") originated in the Canary Islands and are sauces made with vinegar,fresh herbs, garlic,chilli and oil. They are served cold as an accompaniment to potatoes, meat, and fish.or just as a dip to dunk your fresh bread into. There are generally two versions: mojo rojo (red sauce) and mojo verde (green sauce), and they can sometimes be spicy.The red one always more so than the green.
Fresh coriander, parsley ,green chilli and  cumin gives this mojo an intense flavour and deep green colour, but it does not add too much  heat. Make this mojo ahead of time,just add some extra virgin olive oil and store in a tightly-sealed container and refrigerate to have on hand as a sauce to serve with lunch or dinner dishes.This is not to be confused with its  visually similar counterpart chimi churri. Its great with prawns but I have to say my favourite way to get my mojo working is with new potatoes cooked in lots of Flor de sal so they go wrinkly and then soak up the sauce.I buy bags of tiny weeny new potatoes in the market and our dinner guests love them and on one occasion there was even a request for "those tiny little herby new potatoes we had last night."So glad you enjoyed them Dhr.Van Delft.

Potatoes:

1/2 Kg of small potatoes
100 gr of coarse Flor de sal

handful mint leaves

Green Mojo Sauce
1 tbsp mojo verde dry seasoning 

1/2 to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 

Spanish sherry vinegar (to taste)

Mojo prawns with baby potatoes 
green beans and mojo dressing
serves 2
The dressing on this salad really brings it all together ,the piquancy of the mojo and the saltiness of the capers with the freshness of the herbs will give you a little pick-me-up during your day.
400 g shelled raw prawns 
100g green runner beans top,tailed cut in half and then sliced again lengthways   

500g Baby potatoes

Make up 1 quantity of green mojo sauce as above.
pour half the mojo over the prawns and save the rest.Set aside in the refrigerator to marinade until ready to cook.

Boil the potatoes with the salt and mint ( 20 mins or until tender)Set aside to cool.

cook the runner beans and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile in a bowl large enough to take all the ingredients make up your mojo dressing.
Mojo dressing
1/4 cup basil leaves
!74 cup flat leaf parsley
1/2 tbsp capers
tsp dijon mustard
sherry vinegar to taste
When ready to serve, toss the potatoes in the mojo dressing,add the green beans and finish with the prawns on top

Turks-mex pork koftas with sweet-and-sour onion petals and brava less potatoes

Lamb mince is the preferred meat for koftas but as a pork enthusiast, I thought I’d make these boundary-less koftas with pork mince instead.There are countless variations around the globe, but they’re all based around a fatty, juicy, unctuous piece of meat on a skewer and a set of condiments that are ideally matched to it, as well as to each other.

 This version is Tex-mex which has been tweaked to the Turkish palate,Turks-mex  I call it. Pork is healthier, leaner yet equally as delicious. Spiced with cumin, cinnamon, all spice, black pepper and cayenne, these plagiarised koftas are not falling short when it comes to flavour. Garlic and the crucial herbs, aromatic mint,peppery parsley and crushed coriander bring these koftas to life. The infusion of the dried thyme, chilli flakes and lime zest are what make this dish so special. But what would you serve them with? Some sweet and sour Ottolenghi onion petals, swimming in a tart pomegranate syrup.They are a perfect companion to grilled meats, because they cut through the fattiness like a knife.You could serve some creamy guacamole for dipping on the side,but I opted for some roasted red potatoes with an aioli sauce,omitting the spicy tomato sauce that would have made them bravas.

 I wanted to do it without frying them.  Of course, I am not saying you cant fry them, but I try to avoid it when possible (except with the croquettes, there is just no way around that one).  I used a trick to make these potatoes really crispy even though they are baked –  Baking soda!  Its magic.  First you give the potatoes a quick par boil in water with baking soda, then you bake them.  The baking soda breaks down the cells of the potato which creates more surface area, so they almost make their own coating that gets them extra  crisp in the oven. Thank you America’s Test Kitchen for that little gem.
Turks-mex style pork koftas 
makes 8 kofta kebabs
500g Pork Mince
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
50g breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped
1 Tablespoon Fresh Mint, Finely Chopped 
½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 
½ Teaspoon Ground Allspice 
1 teaspoon pul beber, Aleppo chilli flakes
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin,
1 Teaspoon cayenne
1 Teaspoon turmeric
finely grated zest 1 lime
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1tsp dried thyme
1½ Teaspoon ground Black Pepper
1½ tsp seasoned Flor de sal
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Soak your wooden skewers in cold water for at least 15 minutes.
Set your oven to 180c and a line a baking tray with tin foil. Smear a tablespoon of oil over the foil to help prevent the koftas from sticking to the bottom.
Place everything in a large bowl, and get your hands in there only if they are clean and begin to mix all of it up, making sure all those spices get over all the mixture.
Once thoroughly combined, roll up 8 equal balls. Begin to roll them between your palms into a cigar shape once you have the shape stick the skewer through the middle. Continue till they are all done. They roughly come out about 4 inches long. shape into fingers or patties and carefully place them on the oiled baking tray.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
Ottolenghi Sweet-and-sour onion petals

500g golf-ball-sized red onions (about 12), peeled and halved lengthways
75ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
400ml 100% pomegranate juice
3-4 tbsp chives, finely chopped
Heat the oven to 220C /425F/gas 7. In a large bowl, toss the onions with two tablespoons of oil, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grinding of pepper. Transfer to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until softened and charred, then leave to cool.
While the onions are roasting, bring the pomegranate juice to a boil in a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. Turn down the heat, then simmer for about 12 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to about 70ml and is the consistency of a loose maple syrup. Leave to cool; it will thicken as it sits. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the chives with the remaining 45ml oil and a good pinch of salt.
Pour the pomegranate syrup on to a large platter with a lip, and swirl it around to cover most of the plate. Use your hands loosely to separate the onions into individual petals, then scatter them haphazardly over the syrup. Spoon over the chive oil and serve with the grilled kebab.